Managing Director Tele-Reception thanks volunteers and staff: “Hearing the ear is important” – Radar
The neighbor who runs errands, the quarantine Tinder-Crush, the HAUSARZT, the tram-up-fuse or the cat, the cups: In this section, readers thank someone who deserves a warm mercy in this Corona crisis. Today, Leen Devlieghere, Managing Director of Tele-Reception, thanks all volunteers and employees.
“Tele-reception is human work. Without our volunteers and staff we would be nothing, they carry our organization. I would therefore like to thank them, all the volunteers and staff: nurses who support the volunteers, secretarial staff, colleagues responsible for external communication and technical assistance, and my colleagues. When the quarantine started, I felt vulnerable as an organization. What does quarantine mean to us? Will the volunteers still be able to accept their commitment and dare? But it’s incredible how they continue to design the phone helpline and chat day and night during quarantine.
Our volunteers receive more emotional calls from people who
In Flanders we have more than 460 volunteers who are committed to this in the corona season with incredible resilience and strength. Thanks to them, we can continue to accept our commitment to the people in society who are appealing to us. It’s great how strong a group can be, especially in difficult circumstances like this. As a result, you see that the volunteering and commitment of our people remains a great force in this time of crisis.
During the lockdown, telephony gives us up to 25 percent more calls. So many volunteers take extra shifts, everyone works hard, for many hours, sometimes impossible hours. Chat help is provided from home, but for telephone help it is necessary for our volunteers to come to the service. In the first weeks of the lockdown, they went to work saying that we were an essential service and that they were taking this step as part of the necessary help. This was exciting for the volunteers, especially since the streets were so empty at the time. But there was never fear in them.
Our volunteers try to be a refuge and to convey the human contact that is currently lacking
But it’s not just more calls, it’s more and more demanding calls. In the beginning there was a lot of anxiety among people and our volunteers got a lot of questions about health or safety. But now there are many concerns about the impact of the crisis on relationships and mental well-being. Our volunteers receive more emotional calls from people who are struggling. They are often confronted with loneliness. The best thing we can do is offer a hearing ear. People often seek support, a resting place and want to be heard without judgment. Our volunteers try to be a refuge and to convey the human contact that is missing at this time. But it’s a challenge for them to give these things a place after that. Sometimes we hear from a volunteer, ‘I’m glad I can go home by bike so I can blow out.’ But we do what we can.
The feeling that we can make a difference for many people at that time is an added value for volunteering. I am happy to be here to thank our volunteers and staff, although the work they do is of course worth more than a thank you.”
Do you want to put colleagues, friends, nurses, neighbours, employees or the bakery around the corner on Weekend.be? Use an email that you would like to thank bedankt@knack.be, and we will do the rest.
“Tele-reception is human work. Without our volunteers and staff we would be nothing, they carry our organization. I would therefore like to thank them, all the volunteers and staff: nurses who support the volunteers, secretarial staff, colleagues responsible for external communication and technical assistance, and my colleagues. When the quarantine started, I felt vulnerable as an organization. What does quarantine mean to us? Will the volunteers still be able to accept their commitment and dare? But it’s incredible how they continue to design the phone helpline and chat day and night during quarantine. In Flanders we have more than 460 volunteers who are committed to this in the corona season with incredible resilience and strength. Thanks to them, we can continue to accept our commitment to the people in society who are appealing to us. It’s great how strong a group can be, especially in difficult circumstances like this. As a result, you see that the volunteering and commitment of our people remains a great force in this time of crisis. During the lockdown, telephony gives us up to 25 percent more calls. So many volunteers take extra shifts, everyone works hard, for many hours, sometimes impossible hours. Chat help is provided from home, but for telephone help it is necessary for our volunteers to come to the service. In the first weeks of the lockdown, they went to work saying that we were an essential service and that they were taking this step as part of the necessary help. This was exciting for the volunteers, especially since the streets were so empty at the time. But there was never fear in them. But it’s not just more calls, it’s more and more demanding calls. In the beginning there was a lot of anxiety among people and our volunteers got a lot of questions about health or safety. But now there are many concerns about the impact of the crisis on relationships and mental well-being. Our volunteers receive more emotional calls from people who are struggling. They are often confronted with loneliness. The best thing we can do is offer a hearing ear. People often seek support, a resting place and want to be heard without judgment. Our volunteers try to be a refuge and to convey the human contact that is missing at this time. But it’s a challenge for them to give these things a place after that. Sometimes we hear from a volunteer, ‘I’m glad I can go home by bike so I can blow out.’ But we do what we can. The feeling that we can make a difference for many people at that time is an added value for volunteering. I am happy to be here to thank our volunteers and staff, although the work they do is of course worth more than a thank you.”
